Long before ballroom judges weighed in, the star had already made a habit of taking unexpected turns, including one that pulled her away from the trajectory Hollywood seemed to have mapped out for her. Years later, a deeply personal tribute, some cheeky pushback, and rare glimpses of the life she built off-camera are putting her story back in the spotlight.Julia Stiles, 45, built one of the most recognizable careers of her generation, then did something few rising stars at her level would dare: she deliberately made herself less visible. Decades later, her return to a televised dance floor came with a poignant behind-the-scenes detail and a judges’ score that immediately got viewers talking.Meanwhile, away from the cameras and the ballroom, the actress has built another side of her life that fans don’t see nearly as often. Scroll through to see Stiles’ journey from in-demand young movie star to college student, “Dancing with the Stars” (“DWTS”) contestant, wife, and mom of three — along with rare glimpses of the family she has kept largely outside Hollywood’s glare.
At 45, Julia Stiles is back in a major television spotlight after years of building a career largely on her own terms.
Long before her latest television chapter, Stiles became closely associated with a string of films that helped define the late 1990s and early 2000s. She made a major splash as Kat Stratford in 1999’s “10 Things I Hate About You,” playing the sharp, serious teenager opposite Heath Ledger’s Patrick. Stiles later told The Independent that the character immediately spoke to the person she was at 17.”10 Things I Hate About You” helped make Stiles a defining young star of the late 1990s, with Kat Stratford becoming one of her most enduring roles. Snage angst” and was regularly encouraged to be more bubbly, less serious, and more effervescent. Then she read the script. “I thought, ‘Finally, a teenage girl who speaks to me,'” Stiles recalled, explaining that Kat felt like an affirmation that it was okay for a teenage girl to be intellectual and serious. Looking back as an adult, however, Stiles could also see the humor in just how intense the character was.
